Image © SOM
The 20th and 21st centuries are dotted with iconic skyscrapers by the architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The Hancock Tower, the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), the Burj Khalifa, and the still-under-construction One World Trade Center all soar heavenwards as feats of design and engineering. And some 40 years into designing super-tall structures, the firm is continuing to innovate. Its Digital Media City Landmark Tower in southwestern Seoul, South Korea, brings sustainable design skyward.
At 2,100 feet tall (133 stories), the mixed-use tower hosts a collection of green technologies, including solar panels, wind turbines, enhanced daylighting, and living walls. SOM anticipates that these strategies will reduce overall building energy use by 66 percent. “Original constraints on super-tall buildings were vertical transportation and structural requirements,” explains SOM design partner Mustafa Abadan. “Today, those requirements have become easier to solve with technological advancements, but sustainability needs to be addressed. We’ve shifted our priorities to environmental issues.”